Heading into the CCIW Tournament as the No. 3 seed, the Augustana men’s tennis team found itself in a strong position to make another postseason run. While a loss to Luther College closed out the regular season, it did little to overshadow a stretch where Augustana won six of their final seven matches. With momentum on their side and a championship to defend, the focus now shifts to whether they can replicate last year’s success and once again emerge as conference champions.
That opportunity won’t come easily. The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) tournament brings together the conference’s best, where every match carries heightened intensity and little margin for error. Still, with their late-season form and experience from last year’s title run, the Vikings enter the tournament not just as a contender, but as a group that understands exactly what it takes to win when it matters most.
The loss to Luther could have been viewed as a stumble heading into the postseason, but the team viewed it differently. Rather than focusing on the result, players such as junior Aingeru Garcia pointed to the level of competition and intensity throughout the match as something to build on. In many ways, it served less as a setback and more as a reminder of what would be required moving forward into the CCIW Tournament.
“It wasn’t the result we were looking for, but all over the board, we competed a lot; every match was really close, so I’m not feeling like it was a setback,” Garcia said. “I feel like it was a step forward and a little wake-up call that we needed to keep fighting because it’s not done, even though it wasn’t a conference meet, we competed like it was, and I feel like it gave us the motivation that we needed to step on court with conference and try to do our best with it.”
Last season’s conference title came with a unique twist. Rather than a clear-cut winner, the top spot in the CCIW standings ended in a three-way tie, leaving little separation between the conference’s best teams. While Augustana was able to claim a share of the title, the result didn’t necessarily create the same sense of dominance that often comes with a first-place finish.
That shared outcome has lingered into this season, shaping the team’s mindset as they return to the tournament. Instead of relying on last year’s success as validation, they’ve approached it as unfinished business, an opportunity to prove they can stand alone at the top.
“It is motivation because at the end of the day, it was a three-way tie last year,” Garcia said. “It felt like we won it, but it didn’t feel like we did anything different than the other teams did. So I feel like we can use it as motivation and to be more like underdogs in the situation.”
What makes this team so dangerous isn’t just how they play, it’s how they think. Even after a couple of tough losses, there’s no panic or doubt. If anything, it’s made them more confident. Players such as First-Year Santiago Lazo believe they’re better than what those results showed, and that belief shows up every time they step on the court.
“We’re going to fight for every point, every match,” Lazo said. “We’re not going to let ourselves down because we know what we’re capable of. We believe we can make it to Nationals. Even with tough losses against Carthage and North Central, we know we’re the better team. It feels like a family, we rely on each other, and I know I can count on everyone when it matters.”
They opened the CCIW Tournament with a 4-1 win over Carroll in the quarterfinals, controlling the match and setting the tone early. In the semifinals, they ran into Carthage and fell 4-1, bringing their postseason run to an end.
